Protection of valuables
Gold, money, jewelry: When the insurance pays less than expected
March 5, 2026 – 2:46 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Verona Pooth is currently arguing in court with her insurance broker. In 2021, burglars broke into the presenter and advertising icon’s Meerbusch villa and made plenty of loot. According to Pooth, the previously unknown perpetrators stole jewelry worth over one million euros. A damage that Pooth’s insurance apparently did not fully reimburse.
In principle, household contents insurance also pays for watches, jewelry and other valuables. However, so-called compensation limits always apply to valuables, which many insured people are often not aware of.
In addition to jewelry, valuables include gemstones, pearls, works of art, stamps, coins, antiques (not furniture), furs and all items made of silver, gold and platinum. The insurers also include cash, cash cards, certificates, savings books and securities.
The benefits of household contents insurance for valuables are based on the total insured sum. In many tariffs, the insurance pays between 20 and 25 percent. What does that mean? An example: With a total insured sum of 60,000 euros, valuables worth 12,000 euros are insured with a compensation limit of 20 percent. So if the thieves steal jewelry worth 15,000 euros, the policyholder will be left with part of the damage. In addition, the maximum compensation amount is usually capped. Depending on the respective insurance tariff, the following limits usually apply to valuables that are not stored in a safe:
Important to know: Household contents insurance only pays for damage caused by fire, tap water, storms, surges and burglary. If you want to insure jewelry, art and money against floods and other natural hazards, you need the so-called elementary additional component to your household contents insurance.
The compensation limit varies from tariff to tariff. Newer and better tariffs sometimes contain significantly higher reimbursement limits of up to 50 percent. Changing your household contents insurance can therefore be worthwhile. Alternatively, an agreement can be made with the existing insurer to increase the existing compensation limit.
